VSA Partners is a group of dedicated, collaborative and kind people that value smarts over egos. We work very hard to create human-centered, insight-inspired work that moves people, changes behavior, and answers real strategic problems. We started as a design firm over 30 years ago and operate today with a “design thinking” approach to everything we do. Formally, we’re a branding and marketing company that approaches business challenges holistically and aims to break down silos between branding, digital, marketing and advertising. Informally, we’re a family that comes together at the table every day to make something great.
VSA has a Recruit from Everywhere, Work from Anywhere policy so most of our roles can be based anywhere in the US!
VSA’s Digital Practice is responsible for bringing our clients’ stories, visions, and voices to life. We take a human-led approach to creating simple, useful, and accessible experiences. We’re user-first, craft-obsessed, and more than willing to upend conventional wisdom to break new ground.
The Executive Creative Director (ECD) will be part of the Digital leadership team that is responsible for owning the work and orchestrating the creative relationship with our clients. They will lead (and grow) a team tasked with delivering multi-market, multi-channel design strategies for current clients and new business prospects alike. Through their leadership, they’ll be a force that helps craft both our culture, and our portfolio of work.
VSA Partners is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive, equitable environment for all employees. All employment decisions are made based on qualifications, merit, and business need.
Requirements
Creative Leadership
- Own the digital design capability including best-in-class design approaches and tool recommendations
- Work with the co-leads of the Digital practice to present a unified point of view and seamless handoff between the leads, when appropriate
- Lead project teams to ensure high-quality of work and best-in-class solutions
- Work collectively with other Digital Leads to codify, evangelize and continue to grow VSAs Digital capabilities while keeping revenue growth front of mind
- Build capabilities and structure within the team, as appropriate
- Work with Creative Director(s) to establish overall art direction for client programs and projects, synthesize and translate creative briefs to the team, orchestrate all creative aspects, and coordinate all constituents
- Can provide appropriate hands-on design support as required by workload, resources, and client needs
- Understand, articulate, and represent VSA's Digital capabilities in new business meetings
- Identify potential growth areas of accounts and help shape and grow client relationships
- run productive Design meetings
- Engage in high-level discussions about the Practice and broader capabilities across the firm to continuously build the digital team skills and increase digital acuity and equity throughout the firm
- Work on new business opportunities and push to create innovative proposals
Project and Time Management
- Work closely with Project Managers and Client Engagement leads to scope projects accurately and establish project plans
- Work with Discipline Leads to apply and implement agreed-upon processes among Practice
- Lead multidisciplinary teams on multiple projects, ensuring that quality is high, achievements are met, and the team is appropriately engaged
- Track how the team bills time and ensure timely submittal of timesheets and expense reports
- Proactively identify and address inefficiencies among team and Practice
People Management & Mentorship
- Support peers and team members (via brainstorms, critiques, etc.), ensuring everyone has a voice and that positive collaboration is achieved
- Offer appropriate growth opportunities to team members
- Identify tools and resources that could improve efficiency
- Evaluate or participate in the evaluation of team members at a yearly review
Qualifications
- BFA or equivalent
- 15+ years of proven experience in design or related position
- Organized, detailed, strategic problem solver
- Outstanding client relationship skills
- Capable of keeping an eye on the big picture while getting results at the detail level
- Adept at preemptively identifying problems and devising solutions
- Prior experience successfully leading and mentoring diverse teams
- Outstanding oral and written communication skills to engage, persuade and motivate colleagues and clients
- Passionate about collaboration among clients, team members, and peers
- A commitment to high-quality work and to positive and productive relationships
- Experience creating impactful and inclusive omnichannel designs that are culturally informed
- Full versatility in both print/interactive design and a deep understanding of experience design is a plus
- Experience consulting to large B2B and technology clients
- Expertise in modern collaborative design tools like Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, etc.
VSA Partners is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive, equitable environment for all employees. All employment decisions are made based on qualifications, merit and business need.
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VSA PARTNERS, LLC
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